DFW Cargo – Year in Review

While calendar year 2021 EOY results will not be available for some time, DFW wanted to share the airport’s 2021 fiscal year end results. The air cargo performance for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021 measured by total cargo throughput was positive overall with total tonnage coming in at 983,917 US tons. This represented an 11% increase in total throughput compared to 2020 and a 1.3% increase vs 2019. Historically, approximately 25% of the airport’s total chargeable weight was driven by belly cargo which dropped sharply beginning in March 2020. By June 2020 we began to see an increase in “preighter” operations, (passenger aircraft operated as cargo only flights) which offset the dramatic decline in international widebody belly cargo capacity. Air cargo demand remained volatile through March 2021, and with the continuation of global supply chain issues, exacerbated by ocean freight disruptions and port congestion, we began to see a steady increase in air cargo demand which resulted in a strong second half of the fiscal year. Fiscal year 2021 ended looking much like 2019 driven in part by a gradual return of international widebody passenger flights. Belly cargo capacity represented 24% of total tonnage vs 25% in 2019, while freighter operators accounted for 30% and integrators 46%, vs 28% and 48% respectively, in 2019. We’re looking forward to an even stronger 2022 as we target for the first time in DFW history over 1 million US tons in total cargo throughput. Together we can!